Stanbridge Academy Junior High students are collecting presents for Family Giving Tree, a charitable organization that provides toys and gifts for very low-income children.

“This has become a Stanbridge tradition,” said Stanbridge Parent Association (SPA) Family Giving Tree Chair Susan Kufer, who says this is the 10th year Stanbridge has participated. “The Junior High really enjoys being the group that gets the word out through poster making and puts up the tree each year.”

Junior High students assembled the tree on Monday, November 30th and trimmed it with ornaments from the charity.

“The kids’ parents don’t have enough money to get them gifts,” said a Stanbridge 8th grader. “The reason I wanted to donate is so that they can have a happy Christmas.”

There are three ways to donate to Family Giving Tree:1. Take an ornament from the tree, fulfill the wish, and return the gift (unwrapped!) with a new toothbrush to the tree.2. Take an envelop from the tree and mail in a donation directly to the Family Giving Tree.3. Make an online donation to the Family Giving Tree on their website.

“I love doing stuff like this,” said Lisa Ashley, mother of a Stanbridge 6th grader, as she chose an ornament from the tree. “I think Christmas should be about giving.”

All gifts must be dropped off at Stanbridge before noon on Friday, December 11th so that they can be loaded into cars and driven to the warehouse in Milpitas.

“The students flock to the tree each year and the ornaments are brought home in their backpacks,” said Susan. “Please keep an eye out for them!”

“It's a different experience from everyday in school,” said a Stanbridge senior, who went to Second Harvest. “It was very productive. We helped box up the produce.”

The students at Second Harvest boxed, weighed, put 18,000 lbs of sweet potatoes on pallets for delivery in two hours—a new record!

“The students are focused, and they work so hard,” said Susan Kufer, parent of a Stanbridge senior and community service organizer. “One of the agencies we work with regularly asked us to reduce our hours, because we were overwhelming them with too much efficiency.”

Susan first approached Stanbridge about adding a community service component to the high school curriculum in 2011.

“[Community service] is a fantastic way to do things outside yourself, and it fits into the Stanbridge modality of learning life skills,” said Susan. “We used to do it on staff development days, but it was tricky because of age cutoffs and transportation. We had to cancel a couple and always seemed to see the same 10 kids.”

Then-Head of School Marilyn Lynch granted Susan two days a year for the high school students to participate in community service activities. The program expanded to three days the following year.

“Community service provides both a local awareness and experience in the service industry,” said High School Spanish and Woodshop Teacher Aaron Carter. “It is an opportunity for students to help, learn, and excel in a real world environment; a win-win in my book.”

High school students will have two more opportunities to participate in community service activities later this year. In addition to InnVision and Second Harvest, students will have the option of serving lunch to the homeless at Glide Memorial Church or working with the Golden Gate Park Conservancy to extricate invasive species in the Presidio of San Francisco.

Hello again and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Bridge. It is a week of thanks and appreciation, as we start things off with Mother's Day on Sunday, and continue with Teacher Appreciation Week through this Friday. With less than a month to go until graduation, there are plenty of other highlights on the calendar, too. Here is this week's update on the latest Stanbridge news and notes:

First off, we welcome back our junior high students and teachers, who spent much of last week enjoying their spring experiential trip to Westminster Woods. The group had great weather for the outdoor obstacle courses and camp pool during their Tuesday through Thursday adventure, and got an extra day of recovery thanks to Friday's professional development day. Stanbridge Media Czar Mary Stadler has posted some of the photo highlights from the junior high trip on our Facebook page, and more pics will be coming online later this week. Speaking of online pictures, be sure to click over to our Facebook and Google+ pages, where we have posted over 100 pictures from the May 1 "Springtime in Paris" prom.

A big Thank You is in order for everyone who made a donation and helped spread the word about last Tuesday's Silicon Valley Gives online fundraising event. We are happy to report that dozens of donors contributed to Stanbridge for the second annual SVGives drive, and raised over $5,000 which will go toward our teachers' "wish list" requests. We couldn't have done it without your help in sharing the news via social media, so a thumbs-up Facebook "Like" to everyone who helped expand the Stanbridge Community through this unique giving event. (And if you happened to miss SVGives on May 5th, you can still make an online donation to Stanbridge by visiting our SVGives website.)

As noted, Friday was a staff development day, and it also marked the start of "Teacher Appreciation Week." Our thanks to Jackie Donaho for providing everyone with a delicious homemade lunch on Friday afternoon. The appreciation continues throughout this week, as SPA volunteers will be treating the faculty to a variety of special "Thank You" surprises. SPA is still looking for parent/guardian volunteers to assist with this week's Teacher Appreciation activities, so be sure to click over to the SPA Spot page for more details, and visit SPA's Staff Appreciation Week Sign-Up Genius page.

The end of the school year is coming and it is officially time to start the countdown to graduation. First up is the annual Class of 2015 High School Senior Luncheon, which will be held this Saturday, May 16, at Vault 164 restaurant in San Mateo. This luncheon is a tradition for Stanbridge seniors and their parents to get together with the high school teachers and enjoy a year-end celebration of the graduating class. Invitations were sent out at the beginning of the month, and RSVP's were due by May 7th. The luncheon starts at 11:30 a.m. and will run until approximately 1:30-2:00 p.m. This is a wonderful way to honor the seniors and a highlight among the many end-of-the-school-year activities; I look forward to seeing all of this year's graduates and their parents there on Saturday.

Graduation itself is not that far off—this year's commencement ceremony will be held on Friday morning, June 5th at the Burlingame High School Auditorium. Complete details regarding this year's graduation event will be forthcoming as the big day gets closer, but we will be providing formal invitations to our graduating eighth graders and high school seniors this Monday. Each Class of 2015 graduate will receive a packet of printed invitations for this year's ceremony that they should take home and distribute to friends and family. Students will receive the invitations from their homeroom advisor at the end of the day, so please check your student's backpack for the invites on Monday night.

All of this talk about graduation is a natural segue to remind everyone that the initial deadline for Summer School sign-ups is just around the corner. All classes that do not reach the minimum enrollment quota by Monday, May 18 risk being dropped from the schedule. Right now, a number of classes are in danger of being cancelled, so please return your Summer School enrollment forms to the main office as soon as possible. Copies of the course guide and enrollment paperwork are available in the main office, as well as on our website's Summer School page and the Files & Forms page. There truly is something for everyone during all six weeks of the program, so check out this year's offerings and sign-up your student this week!

Before signing off, a few additional notes:

Our thanks to everyone who contributed to the Junior High clothing drive for Sleep Train Foster Kids. Nearly a dozen bags and bins of shoes and clothing were collected and will be delivered to the Sleep Train Foster Kids drop-off point this week. Another wonderful example of the community outreach here at Stanbridge!

This Friday, May 15, SPA is sponsoring the final afterschool trip to the movies of this school year. Parent/guardian volunteers will be on hand at 3:10 to walk with high school students from Stanbridge to the San Mateo Cinemark Theaters for a pay-your-own-way afternoon screening. The film and showtime will be announced later this week, so check your email inbox and/or the SPA Spot page for full details.

Finally, it is with sadness that I announce the resignation of Chris Myers, our Communications & Projects Manager who, among other duties, is in charge of managing the website so that their our know misstakes? [Just kidding, Marilyn! —cm] Chris has been at Stanbridge for nine years, starting as a junior high teacher in 2006, and he has worked on a number of different projects during his time here, including the website, the Annual Fund, the fall auction gala, Summer School, and more. Chris will be leaving us later this month to assume the role of development manager at an educational nonprofit in San Francisco, and we wish him all the best for success at his new job. Good luck and godspeed, Chris!

That's all for this week. Until next time, a Happy Mother's Day to all of our Stanbridge moms! Enjoy the weekend and see you back at school on Monday.

Bonjour! Hello again and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Bridge. May is here and many of our high school students began the month with a taste of Europe—our "Paris in the Springtime" Prom was held on Friday night and signaled the start of fun, but busy, month ahead. Grab your pencil and planner as there's plenty to look forward to on the calendar:

With all of our high school students back from their spring experiential trips, this past week at Stanbridge saw everyone busy at work in the classrooms. Spring reading and math assessments were held on Tuesday and Wednesday for students in all grade divisions. Similar to the ones they took in September, these assessments allow us to monitor your student's academic progress throughout the year. As we have in the past, we used the "GRADE" (Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation) and "GMADE" (Group Mathematics Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation) assessments, and results will be available at the end of the school year. If you have any questions about the assessments, please contact Program Specialist Diane Chau.

After two days of midweek assessments, Friday night's all-high-school prom was the perfect excuse to celebrate. The event included a catered, sit-down dinner served to the students by faculty chaperones, and accompanied by live piano music. After dinner, the tables were cleared, the DJ setup, and students danced the night away. Hayden Hall was transformed into a banquet hall worthy of the Champs-Élysées thanks to a cadre of volunteer decorators who ensured that the "Springtime in Paris" theme was in full bloom. This annual event is a highlight of every year for our high school students and there will be plenty of pictures posted online this week from the big night, so be sure to check back to our Facebook and Google+ pages. In the meantime, please click over to the SPA Spot page, where we have posted a more in-depth update from prom night, including the names of all of the wonderful volunteers who brought the magic of Paris to San Mateo. Merci à tous!

This week, we return to the magic of...San Mateo—specifically, Silicon Valley. This Tuesday, May 5, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation will host their second annual "SVGives Day of Giving," a day-long event to raise money for local nonprofits through a single online donation platform. Last year, Stanbridge participated in the launch of this new effort, and we raised over $8,000 thanks to friends and family sharing the news via social media. To encourage participation in this year's SVGives event, Stanbridge teachers from each grade division created a “wish list” of items they would like for their classrooms next year. Your donations will help fulfill these teacher wishes! From science sets to art supplies, educational apps to audiobooks, donations at every level will go toward keeping Stanbridge students inspired, engaged, and excited about learning. Contributions of any amount are appreciated and every donation will make a difference. Schedule your donation today, or give on May 5th at: svgives.razoo.com/story/Stanbridge-Academy. Also, please help us spread the word to friends, family, and others who would like to be part of the Stanbridge Community by sharing the link on our Facebook and Google+ pages.

In other donation news, our junior high eighth graders are winding-up their special spring community service project. The group has been collecting socks, shoes, and other clothing for Sleep Train Foster Kids and the final day for donations is Monday, May 4. A collection bin is stationed in Maureen Zane's classroom and donations will be accepted through Monday afternoon. Per the student organizers: "Please make sure if you are donating used clothes that they are still in good condition; no holes or stains. Please place all donated items in a bag. We believe that foster kids need new clothes, socks, and shoes for the upcoming summer, and they don’t need to wear old or tight clothing. When our drive ends, we will bring your donations to the closest Sleep Train. If you want to learn more about the Sleep Train Foster Kids program, visit the website sleeptrainfosterkids.com. We want to make an impact! Thank you so very much for helping."

Junior high students will be packing-up some of their own clothing for the group's spring experiential trip to Westminster Woods this week. Students in the JH division will be departing from Stanbridge on Tuesday morning for a three day adventure of rope climbing, zip-lining, obstacle coursing, and team building; returning to campus on Thursday afternoon. Bag check is scheduled for Monday, May 4, so please ensure your student brings his/her bags to school on Monday morning. If you have any questions about the packing list or the trip in general, please email your student's homeroom advisor (teacher email addresses are posted in our website's Teachers section).

And speaking of teachers...this coming Friday is a staff development day, meaning there is no school for students this Friday, May 8. This Friday also marks the start of "Staff Appreciation Week," as SPA volunteers will be treating the faculty to a special lunch. Additional activities and "Thank You" surprises are scheduled for the week of May 11-14 as well, and SPA is looking for parent/guardian volunteers to assist. Click over to the SPA Spot page for more details, and a link to the Staff Appreciation Week Sign-Up Genius page.

>>>Pssst! Hey, it's me, Chris, the Stanbridge webmaster. We interrupt Marilyn's regularly scheduled "Weekly Bridge" column to bring you this special update. As you know, Marilyn will be retiring at the end of the school year (well...hopefully you know that by now). Amy Bergstrom and the Stanbridge Parents Association are planning a special Retirement Luncheon for Marilyn on Thursday, May 28, and all Stanbridge parents and guardians are invited! The lunch will take place at noon at Three Restaurant in San Mateo. Amy sent out an evite, but if you did not receive it (cursed spam filters!), please RSVP by emailing Amy by May 11. Space is limited, so please reply ASAP. If you have any additional questions, contact Amy or ask at this Wednesday's SPA meeting. Hope you can make it! We now return to our regularly-scheduled Bridge update.<<<

Before signing off, a few closing notes:

This Wednesday, May 6, is the final SPA meeting of the school year. All Stanbridge parents and guardians are encouraged to attend; 8:30 a.m. in Hayden Hall.

Photos from the high school trip to Sonoma Coast have been posted on our Facebook and Google+ pages; click over to check them out. Also, Travis created a video slideshow of the Close-Up trip to Washington, D.C. We have posted the video on our YouTube channel, so be sure to view it as well.

Summer School enrollment is now open and the initial enrollment deadline is May 18. Please note that courses which have not met the minimum enrollment requirement by May 18 will be dropped from the schedule, so please don't delay in signing-up your student. There is something for students in every grade division during each week of the program. Classes are offered in one- or two-week sessions and students can enroll in as many classes as they'd like. This year's summer program begins the week of June 22 and runs through the end of July. The course guide and enrollment forms are available to view/download on our Summer School page, as well as the Files & Forms page (hard copies are also available in the main office).

Last but not least, I am happy to welcome incoming Head of School John O'Brien to campus. John spent his first full day at Stanbridge on Friday, and will be on campus throughout the month working with me and the staff to transition in to the position full-time after graduation. John will no doubt be busy, but he is looking forward to meeting with everyone at Stanbridge, so don't be a stranger when you see him around.

In the meantime, au revoir, Paris, it's back to school on Monday. Look forward to seeing everyone then.

From Marilyn Lynch, Stanbridge Head of School:Hello again and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Bridge. The third quarter officially ended on Friday, and that means we are now in the home stretch of the school year. The fourth quarter kicks off with a short, four-day week (there's no school this Friday, April 3) and we get next week off for Spring Break. Enjoy the down time, because there's plenty going on once we get back. In the meantime, here's this week's recap of the latest news from campus:

March Madness tips-off our update this week, as the student Bulldogs basketball team pulled off a stunning victory in last Tuesday's Students vs. Staff Basketball Classic, held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Park Recreation Center. In a down-to-the-wire thriller, the student team scored the go-ahead basket with only seconds left in the game. The staff comeback effort fell just short, and the final buzzer sounded with the student team ahead 42-41. After the congratulatory postgame handshakes and high fives, the Bulldogs and coach Mark Kelley gathered at center court to hoist the victor's trophy; it was the student team's third straight win over the staff, making this run the first ever "three-peat" in the game's five-year history. Overall, it was a great effort by all the participants, who were cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd. The victory officially ends this year's season for the young Bulldogs team, who also notched a win over STAR Academy earlier this month. You can read more about the team and view their record on our Bulldogs Athletics page, and be sure to visit our Facebook page for pictures from last week's game.

Last week also launched the third and final session of afterschool clubs. This session of clubs will run through the end of May, and enrollment remains open for all but one of the club groups (Animal Lovers Club, scheduled for Mondays, has been dropped from the club schedule). The enrollment deadline for afterschool clubs is this Thursday, April 2. There is still time to sign-up your student for one (or more) of this session's afterschool activities. Club descriptions and the necessary enrollment form can be found on our website's Activities & Clubs page and also the Files & Forms page. Please note that Board Games Club (on Wednesdays) and LEGO Club (on Thursdays) will continue this week, but both currently have low enrollment and risk being dropped after spring break if no additional students sign-up. Please return the enrollment form with your club tuition payment to the main office ASAP. Any additional club cancellation notices will be announced by the end of the day on April 2.

Our high school students were off-campus this past Friday, as teachers organized a variety of field trips for the entire division. Groups of students had the chance to visit either the Chabot Space & Science Center; the California Academy of Sciences; or the San Mateo Cinemark Theaters to see the movie Insurgent (which some students have been reading in their Literature class). Regardless of which trip they picked, it wasn't a bad way to spend a Friday; be sure to check out the photo highlights posted on our Google+ page. Please note that because the high school students were not on campus for Friday's bake sale, SPA will be holding a makeup bake sale this Monday, March 30; click over to SPA's Bake Sale Sign-Up Genius if you are able to provide items for this event.

As noted earlier, we are now in the final quarter of the school year, which means that it is time to start thinking about graduation. The first of many graduation milestones took place this past Thursday, when our eighth graders and high school seniors sat for their graduation photos. Photographer Doug Peck was on campus for individual and group shots of this year's graduates. This week, Doug will send photo proofs with an order form home with your student, which you can mail directly to Doug or return to the main office. If you have any additional questions about Thursday's photo shoot or ordering prints, please contact Susan or Maggie in the main office.

This week, our middle elementary and upper elementary students will be spending three days at Camp Campbell for their spring experiential trip. The group leaves Tuesday morning and will return Thursday afternoon. If you have a student going on the trip, please remember to bring his or her bags to school tomorrow. Chaperones will be conducting bag checks and making a note for any missing items. If you have any questions regarding the trip or the packing list, please contact your student's homeroom teacher. (Reminder: Teacher email addresses can be found in the Teachers section of our website.)

Two other notes about this week at Stanbridge: First, a reminder that Wednesday, April 1 is the monthly SPA meeting, 8:30 a.m. in Hayden Hall. As many of you know, there is much to discuss as we prepare for the final two months of the school year, so please join the SPA group this Wednesday morning if you can. Also, don't forget that this Wednesday is our April 1st deadline for the Annual Fund. We are getting closer to our 100% participation goal, but we are still a few families shy of reaching it. That 100% goal is important since we receive a bonus $5,000 if all K-8 families make a donation, and another $5,000 if all high school families participate. That's $10,000 in extra funds for Stanbridge if every family simply makes a donation (no April fooling!). If you have not yet given, know that any amount will help and every donation makes a difference! Donation envelopes are available in the main office, and you can also give via credit or debit card through our secure online platform, just click over to our Donate Now page.

Before signing off this week, a few closing notes:

Teachers are finishing their third quarter grading this week and report cards will be sent home once they are finalized. Due to the quarter ending this past Friday, and the short week ahead this week, it is likely report cards will not be mailed until after spring break.

With the third quarter now in the rearview mirror, we thought it might be fun to look back at some of the highlights from the past nine weeks of school. Click over to our Media Room or Google+ page for a special online album of third quarter photo highlights.

We are in the process of finalizing our summer school schedule for this year, and will be publishing course descriptions and enrollment paperwork immediately after spring break. Over two-dozen courses are being planned for this year's slate, and there will be classes for students in every division during all six-weeks of the program. Remember to save the dates now: This year's Stanbridge Summer School runs from June 22 through July 31--more details coming soon!

Finally, a big Thank You to all of our Stanbridge students, families, and staff who contributed to the STAR Team Candy Drive. This past week, STAR Team representatives personally delivered over 100 bags of candy to donate to the CALL-Primrose pantry in Burlingame. The candy will benefit local children in our community, ensuring they have a happy Easter holiday. Again, heartfelt thanks to everyone in the Stanbridge community who helped with this project.

That's all for now. Remember that there's no school this Friday; so just a few days until spring break!

Stanbridge high school students volunteered at Golden Gate Park this past Tuesday, March 17.

From Marilyn Lynch, Stanbridge Head of School:Hello again and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Bridge. Spring is officially here and with its arrival comes the usual shower of activities here on campus. Spring Break doesn't start until next Friday, and there's plenty to look forward to between now and then, so be sure to read-up on the latest goings-on in this week's update:

Once again, we begin with news from our Head of School search. Our second candidate for the job visited this past week, and the third and final candidate will be here this Monday and Tuesday, March 23 & 24. The candidates are following identical schedules of meeting with all key Stanbridge personnel, and there are two opportunities for parents/guardians to meet the final candidate for a parents-only Q&A forum. At each of these meetings, we will distribute a summary bio of the candidate, along with a survey eliciting the feedback of those who attend. The parent/guardian forums for our third candidate will be this Monday, March 23 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., and Tuesday morning, March 24 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. These meetings will take place in Hayden Hall and to assist our search committee with planning for these events, we ask that you please RSVP via our online form if you plan to attend either (or both) of these sessions. The RSVP form is posted on our Files & Forms page; please reply by Monday afternoon if you have not done so already. Again, this week's candidate is the last of the three finalists for the Head of School position; the search committee will provide further updates on the search and selection process once all feedback has been reviewed, so be sure to look for email alerts and updates on our Head of School Search News webpage.

After a week-long break, afterschool clubs resume this week for their third and final installment. This session of clubs starts on Monday, March 23 and will run through the end of May. We are excited to be offering another wide-ranging selection of club activities during this session, including some new offerings as well as many returning favorites. Students are welcome to sign-up for new clubs, or re-enroll in their current club. Clubs fill on a first-come, first-served basis and enrollment is open through April 2. Club descriptions and an enrollment form can be found on the clubs brochure posted to our Files & Forms page, hard copies of which are also available in the main office. To sign-up, simply return your completed enrollment form with payment to the main office before Spring Break.

This week, our Bulldog Basketball team closes out their season with an exciting pair of games. On Sunday afternoon, March 22, the squad faced STAR Academy for the third time this season. Each team notched a victory in the previous match-ups, so Sunday's game was the rubber match. Despite a valiant effort, the Bulldogs came up short, but congratulations are in order for this year's squad which featured a number of new players who donned Bulldog Blue uniforms for the first time. Of course, Sunday's game was merely a prelude to the season finale—the annual Students vs. Staff Basketball Classic, which will be held this Tuesday afternoon at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park's Rec Center. All staff and students will enjoy a special pre-game lunch on campus before waking over to the park for the big showdown (tip time is estimated to be around 1:00 p.m.) Guests are welcome to attend this free event, but please note that the gym is small and space is limited. The NCAA may claim the mantle of March Madness, but this year's Stanbridge Students vs. Staff game is generating its own buzz. The Staff Team won the first two years of this matchup, but the Student Bulldogs claimed victories in the past two years of the rivalry. Will the students three-peat, or will the staff reclaim the trophy? Fire-up the Gus Johnson soundboard; we'll find out Tuesday afternoon!

This Thursday morning, March 26, photographer Doug Peck will be back on campus to take graduation photographs of our eighth graders and high school seniors. The graduation gowns will be sent home on Monday, March 23, with your student. Eighth graders will receive a blue gown, and seniors will receive a blue cap and gown. Please press the gown and return on a hanger labeled with your student's name on Wednesday or Thursday morning. Following graduation day, the cap and gown are yours to keep. Within a week following Thursday's photo shoot, Doug will send photo proofs with an order form home with your student, which you can mail directly to Doug or return to the main office. Boys are asked to wear a collared shirt and tie under their gown; please let us know if you need to borrow either. Girls are asked to wear a dress under their gown. Please note that shoes are visible in the group photos. If you have any additional questions about Thursday's photo shoot, please contact Susan or Maggie in the main office.

A reminder that this Friday, March 27 marks the end of the third academic quarter. Quarter grades will be submitted by teachers, and report cards will be mailed-out before Spring Break. This is the final week for students to make up any work they may be missing before grades are finalized. If you or your student has any questions or concerns about their academic progress, please contact the appropriate teacher(s). Teacher email addresses can be found in the Teachers section of our website.

Our high school students will be off-campus this Friday, as teachers have organized a variety of field trips for the entire division. Groups will be going to either the Chabot Science Center, the California Academy of Sciences, or to see the movie Insurgent (which some students have been reading in their Literature class). Permission forms will be distributed by each student's advisor; please ensure you sign and return them by Thursday (Please note that there will be no school on Friday, 3/27, for Fith Year students). Also on Friday, SPA will be sponsoring the monthly Bake Sale. Baked goods will be available for students to purchase during their lunch period for one dollar. Volunteers are still needed to provide goodies for this event; click over to SPA's Bake Sale Sign-Up Genius if you are able to assist.

Before signing off, a few closing notes:

This past Tuesday, March 17, Stanbridge high school students participated in their third Day of Service this school year. Groups spent the day volunteering at The Second Harvest Food Bank, Inn-Vision Shelter, and Golden Gate Park. Photos from all three venues have been posted to our Facebook page, so be sure to click over and check them out. Also, another big Thank You to Susan Kufer, who once again helped organize these community service opportunities.

Speaking of service opportunities, this is the last call for the March Candy Drive. Student Body President Ben Simson and the Stanbridge Student STAR Teams are working together to collect at least 120 bags of candy to donate to the CALL-Primrose pantry in Burlingame. The candy will benefit local children in our community, ensuring they have a happy Easter holiday. Families in all grade divisions can contribute to this service project by dropping-off bags of pre-wrapped candy (no nuts please) in the collection bin in the main office. Collection ends this Tuesday, March 24, and representatives from the STAR Teams and student government will be making 150 Easter bags which they will personally deliver later this week.

At long last, video clips from this year's Talent Show are online! Clips of every performance have been posted to our YouTube channel and photos from the event can be found on our Facebook and Google+ pages. Be sure to share the highlights with friends and family.

The final Common Ground Speaker Series event of this school year will take place this week. Dr. Susan Engel, nationally known educator and developmental psychologist, presents "The Hungry Mind: Keeping Kids Inspired and Curious." There are opportunities to hear Dr. Engel's lecture on both Tuesday, March 24 and Wednesday, March 25 at three different Bay Area locations. Click over to our Common Ground page for complete details, and check our Lectures & Workshops page regularly for updates to the events calendar.

We will be hosting a special all-school assembly this Thursday afternoon, March 26. "The Science of Sound" is a unique, high-energy, interactive demonstration of what makes music musical. The good vibrations start at 2:00 p.m. in the A2 Multipurpose Soundatorium.

Last but not least, don't forget that our Annual Fund's April 1 deadline is coming up, and we're still a bit shy of reaching our 100% participation goal. As you know, if the K-8 grade divisions reach 100%, we receive $5,000 in bonus matching funds; ditto if our 9-12 high school division hits the 100% participation mark. That's $10,000 in extra funds for Stanbridge if every family simply makes a donation. If you have not yet given, know that any amount will help and every donation makes a difference! Donation envelopes are available in the main office, and you can also give via credit or debit card through our secure online platform, just click over to our Donate Now page.

That's all for now. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and see you back on campus on Monday!

From Marilyn Lynch, Stanbridge Head of School:Hello again and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Bridge. The Ides of March may be upon us, but this past Friday at Stanbridge, students were treated to a slightly sweeter occasion as they enjoyed a buffet of pies in honor of Saturday's "Pi Day," an unofficial holiday celebrated every March 14 (or 3.14, in mathematical parlance). This year, Pi Day took on special significance, as the calendar allowed us to carry Pi Day to its ninth decimal place—hopefully you marked the moment Saturday night at 53 seconds after 9:26 p.m., when it was 3/14/15 9:26:53 (or 3.141592653). With so much other news to report, it would be truly irrational to focus solely on this aspect of the week, so here is the rest of the non-numerical news from campus:

Headlining this week's update is the latest from our Head of School search. This past Thursday and Friday, the first of three finalist for the position was on campus to tour the school and meet with staff, students, trustees, and parents. After each meeting, the various constituencies were invited to provide feedback on the candidate for our Head of School Search Committee to consider. If you were present for one of the candidate's forums and did not receive a feedback form, you can pick up a copy in the main office or request one by emailing Maggie and Susan. Please ensure you provide your feedback in a timely manner, as the next two candidate visits are scheduled for this week and next.

With that said, our second Head of School candidate will be visiting this week, Monday and Tuesday, March 16-17, and the third candidate next Monday and Tuesday, March 23-24. All candidates are following identical schedules of meeting with all key Stanbridge personnel, and there are multiple opportunities for parents/guardians to meet each candidate for a parents-only Q&A forum. At each of these meetings, we will hand out summary bios of the candidate along with a survey eliciting the feedback of those who attend. The schedule of candidate Q&A forums with parents and guardians is:

To assist the search committee with planning and preparation, please fill out the online RSVP form on our Files & Forms page if you plan to attend one or more of the remaining candidate forums.These forums are unique opportunities for you to learn more about our head of school candidates in a conversational setting, ask them questions, and provide the search committee with your feedback. We highly encourage all Stanbridge parents and guardians to attend.

Also on our Files & Forms page, you will find an electronic copy of our Afterschool Clubs brochure, listing the clubs that will be offered for the third and final session of the school year. Please note that the second session of clubs ended this past week andthere will be no afterschool clubs this week, March 16-20. The third session of afterschool clubs at Stanbridge will begin the week of March 23 and will run through the end of May. We are excited to be offering another wide-ranging selection of club activities during this session, including some new offerings as well as many returning favorites. Students are welcome to sign-up for new clubs, or re-enroll in their current club. Please note that some new clubs are being offered, and other clubs have changed their club day. Clubs fill on a first-come, first-served basis and enrollment is open through April 2. To sign-up, simply return your enrollment form and payment to the main office. Hard copies of the clubs brochure will be distributed to students on Monday, and extra copies will be available in the main office.

This week, students in our high school division will be heading off-campus again for their third Day of Service this school year. On Tuesday, March 17, students in grades 9-12 will spend the day volunteering at one of three locations: The Second Harvest Food Bank, Inn-Vision Shelter, or Golden Gate Park. Student advisors distributed all necessary permission forms; please ensure they are signed and returned to the main office by Monday. Speaking of service projects, Student Body President Ben Simson and the Stanbridge Student STAR Teams are working together to collect at least 120 bags of candy to donate to the CALL-Primrose pantry in Burlingame. The candy will benefit local children in our community, ensuring they have a happy Easter holiday. Families in all grade divisions can contribute to this service project by dropping-off bags of pre-wrapped candy (no nuts please) in the collection bin in the main office. Collection will run through March 24, and representatives from the STAR Teams and student government will personally deliver the donated items before Spring Break.

On the Annual Fund front, I am happy to report that we are closing-in on our goal of 100% family participation. As you know, if the K-8 grade divisions reach 100%, we receive $5,000 in bonus matching funds; ditto if our 9-12 high school division hits the 100% participation mark. That's $10,000 in extra funds for Stanbridge if every family simply makes a donation. Currently, the K-8 divisions are at 83% and high school is at 86%. Our goal is to reach that magic 100% mark by April 1, and we're getting closer every day. If you have not yet given, know that any amount will help and every donation makes a difference! Donation envelopes are available in the main office, and you can also give via credit or debit card through our secure online platform, just click over to our Donate Now page. This has been a tremendous year so far for the Annual Fund—thank you to everyone who has donated and to the many Annual Fund committee volunteers for their help in making this year's campaign so successful!

Before we close out this week's update, a few final notes:

Be sure to click over to theSPA Spot page for details on some important upcoming events. This Friday, SPA will be sponsoring another afterschool trip to the movies for high school students (title TBA later this week), and next Friday, March 27, SPA will hold the monthly Bake Sale during student lunch periods (volunteers still needed to provide items for the sale). Also, mark your calendars for the April SPA meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, April 1. Complete details on those events and more over on the SPA Spot page.

The end of the third academic quarter is coming-up at the end of the month. Progress reports were sent home in the mail to parents/guardians of students who are in danger of failing a class. If you received a progress report, please contact the appropriate teacher to discuss ways in which your student can improve his/her grade before this quarter's grades are finalized. Teacher emails are posted in the Teachers section of the website.

Finally, video clips from this year's Student Talent Show will be online this week. Once we have finalized the editing, we will post the clips on our YouTube channel, so be sure to check for an announcement later this week!

That's all for now. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and all of that leftover pie!

From Marilyn Lynch, Stanbridge Head of School:Hello again and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Bridge. With no holidays or breaks on the calendar, some might consider March to be a "slow month" at Stanbridge. But with a number of field trips on the schedule, another volunteer day coming up, and—oh yeah—Friday night's big Talent Show, there's no lack of activity here on campus. Here's the latest news as we spring forward into this week's update:

Headlining this week's column is the Talent Show, and a huge round of applause for all of the performers who graced the stage on Friday night. Once again, Stanbridge students showcased a variety of acts that included singing, dancing, comedy, poetry, multimedia and more. It takes a lot of courage to get onstage and perform (to a packed house, no less), so kudos to everyone who stepped into the spotlight and shared their talents with us. And a hearty round of applause to everyone who came out to support our performers—the standing-room-only crowd of friends, family, and staff members from all grade divisions provided enthusiastic support from all segments of the Stanbridge community.

The Talent Show is a highlight of every school year and this year's event was no exception. As you can imagine, a lot of work goes in to putting on a show like this, so I'd like to thank all of the volunteers who helped audition acts, supervise students on Friday afternoon, and set-up/clean-up before and after the show. Special thanks to David Hopper for his services as sound engineer on Friday night, and especially to Jay Huston, who year-after-year coordinates, produces, and directs this amazing event. Be sure to click over to our Facebook page, where we have posted a number of pictures from this year's show, and stay tuned for updates next week, when we hope to have video clips of all the acts posted on our YouTube channel.

While on our Facebook page, you'll notice that last week was a busy week for students off-campus. Last Wednesday, students in our junior high division spent the day collecting trash and recyclables at Central Park, and then visited the Recology processing plant to learn how those recyclables are processed and reused. On Thursday, students in lower and middle elementary visited In-N-Out Burger, where they got to go behind the counter and see firsthand the work that goes into making an Animal-Style Double-Double Meal. Not to be outdone, our high school "Bridges" life skills class practiced their navigation skills by using various forms of public transportation to get from Stanbridge to San Francisco's Embarcadero (and back again). It couldn't have been a better week to be out and about for these groups, and there are photos from all of their off-campus adventures on our Facebook feed.

Students in our high school division will be heading off-campus again later this month for their third Day of Service this school year. On Tuesday, March 17, students in grades 9-12 will spend the day volunteering at one of three locations: The Second Harvest Food Bank, Inn-Vision Shelter, or Golden Gate Park. Student advisors will be distributing the necessary permission forms; please ensure they are signed and returned to the main office by the end of this week.

Speaking of service projects, Student Body President Ben Simson and the Stanbridge Student STAR Teams are working together to collect at least 120 bags of candy to donate to the CALL-Primrose pantry in Burlingame. The candy will benefit local children in our community, ensuring they have a happy Easter holiday. Families in all grade divisions can contribute to this service project by dropping-off bags of pre-wrapped candy (no nuts please) in the collection bin in Hayden Hall. Collection will run through March 24, and representatives from the STAR Teams and student government will personally deliver the donated items before Spring Break.

If your student is enrolled in an afterschool club, please note that this week will end the second session of afterschool clubs. We will have clubs as scheduled through this Friday, March 13, followed by a one-week break with no afterschool clubs from March 16-20, and our third session of clubs will start the week of March 23 and run through the end of May. Enrollment forms for this final session of clubs will be distributed to students and posted online next week. Many of the clubs will continue unchanged for this final iteration, though there may be some slight variations to the schedule. All students who wish to join a club for this final session will need to enroll (or re-enroll) and have their club tuition paid by April 2. Full details on the clubs being offered and their costs will be included on the forthcoming enrollment form.

With so much going on, you may have forgotten about the monthly SPA meeting held last Wednesday. Minutes from the meeting have been posted to the SPA Spot page, and they include notes from guest speaker Adrienne Cane Ilang, MFT, who gave a presentation on how parents can support siblings of children with special needs. Per her presentation. you can also visit the website Understood.org, which has an interactive tool that parents and siblings can use to gain some insight on what it feels like to have special educational needs. Also, don't forget to provide your feedback on SPA's proposed new online group. SPA would like your input on re-launching a new online community group where Stanbridge parents, staff, teachers, and board members can post questions, tips, or news for others to read and comment on. If you have not yet done so, please visit the Survey Monkey page to let SPA know how this proposed venture would best serve you.

We almost got through this week's column without an appeal to donate to the Annual Fund (...almost). If you were at Friday night's Talent Show, you were treated to a special pre-show double bill of "Uncle" James Warren singing an original Annual Fund-themed composition, plus Annual Fund Chairwoman Gloria Principe giving a speech on the importance of getting to 100% family participation (hint: There's $10,000 in bonus matching funds if we do). In the spirit of this month's St. Patrick's Day, Gloria went so far as to recruit her husband John O'Farrell to compose and read original limericks illustrating the importance of donating to this year's campaign. Those are tough acts to follow, so rather than sing or read poetry, I will simply provide a link our Donate Now page, which contains details on the many ways you can make your donation either in-person, through the mail, or online. Truly, any amount will help us get closer to our 100% goal and every donation will have an impact. Together we can get to 100%, but we can't do it without you!

Before we close out this week's update, a few final notes:

Emily Witt is a Research Assistant in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences department at Stanford University, in the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research (CIBSR). She is reaching out to the Stanbridge community to offer ten weeks of cognitive training for teens (13-19 years old) with an ASD diagnosis to improve their social cognition. The process is non-invasive, harmless, and takes place in a friendly and comfortable setting. The goal of the study is to develop an imaging-based neuro-feedback method for enhancing treatment response to the social cognition intervention for teens with ASD in hopes that this could significantly contribute to an improvement in their quality of life. Click here for more information on Stanford Autism Research; and here for details on the CIBSR training. If you are interested in having your student participate in the study, additional details available by contacting staff at the Center directly; email them at stanfordbrain@stanford.eduand use "Autism intervention" in the subject line.

The end of the third academic quarter is coming-up at the end of the month. Progress reports were sent home this past week to parents/guardians of students who are in danger of failing a class. If you received a progress report, please contact the appropriate teacher to discuss ways in which your student can improve his/her grade before this quarter's grades are finalized. Teacher emails are posted in the Teachers section of the website.

Finally, don't forget that we are saving daylight this weekend. If you haven't already turned your clock ahead one hour (spring forward), ensure you do so prior to Monday morning—don't want to show up to school an hour late!

That's all for this week. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and see you back at school on Monday!

From Marilyn Lynch, Stanbridge Head of School:Hello again and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Bridge. It's Super Bowl Sunday and before you settle in to watch the game (or the commercials) with your pizza, chips, and guacamole, take a time out to read the latest news and notes from campus, which—I assure you—have been fully inflated to meet regulations:

In keeping with the football theme for just a moment longer, halftime is over and we are now in the third quarter of the school year. Report cards were finalized on Friday and you should receive your student's grades in the mail this week. Please note that there are no teacher conference days scheduled, but if you would like to meet with one or more of your student's instructors to discuss academic progress, please email the teacher(s) directly to set-up a meeting. Teacher emails can be found in the Teachers section of our website.

This past Tuesday, our high school division participated in their second community service day this school year. Much like the Day of Service held in November, all high school students were split in to three groups, and spent the day volunteering at either BOK Ranch, InnVision Shelter, or the Second Harvest Food Bank. Photo highlights have been posted on the Stanbridge Facebook page, and we'll have more coming next week on our website's Community Service page. A big Thank You to Susan Kufer for once again organizing these service opportunities. Learning about the challenges and needs of others and connecting to the larger community are key components of Stanbridge's community service program, and it is great to see our students actively helping to make a difference.

These next two weeks are busy ones for the Stanbridge Parent Association, beginning with the February SPA meeting this Wednesday, February 4, at 8:30 a.m. in Hayden Hall. There will be a number of guest speakers at the meeting, including Adrienne Cane Ilang, MFT, who will give a presentation on how parents can support siblings of children with special needs. Also scheduled to appear are members of the Harvard Business school. The HBS Alumni consulting team has been working with us throughout the year to help develop a marketing plan for Stanbridge. As part of the project, the team is talking to many different constituencies within Stanbridge, including the current parents/guardians. They have asked to join us at the February SPA meeting to solicit feedback and comments regarding your experience at the school and gain additional insight into Stanbridge from the parents’ perspective. Additional information on these speakers has been posted on the SPA Spot page, so be sure to click over for more details.

Also on the SPA Spot page is news regarding the next high school dance, scheduled for this Friday, February 6. The dance will be held in Hayden Hall, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and will feature a live DJ, pizza and refreshments, and a separate activity room. All Stanbridge high school students are invited to attend, and are welcome to bring a friend. Permission forms can be downloaded from our Files & Forms page and are also available in the main office; please sign and return them by Wednesday, February 4. Volunteers are still needed to provide snacks and act as chaperones. If you are able to help out, please sign up on the SPA Sign-Up Genius page.

Our Annual Fund Campaign Committee is striving to secure an additional $10,000 in matching funds if we can get to 100% family participation. Anonymous donors have pledged $5,000 if our our K-8 division reaches 100% participation; and $5,000 if our high school division hits the 100% participation mark. That match money is in addition to the dollar-for-dollar matches on all new donations and increases in donations from last year. It has never been easier for your gift to go farther, and making a donation is as simple as clicking over to our secure Donate Now page. We're three-quarters of the way toward that 100% goal; if you haven't yet made your contribution to the Annual Fund campaign, please consider giving today. Any amount will make a difference and every donation will have an impact!

In administrative news, the Position Description for our Head of School search has been completed and is being disseminated by our Head of School consulting firm, Carney, Sandoe & Associates. This document is a direct result of search consultant Skip Kotkin's visit to the school and the discussions he had with all constituent groups and key individuals in our school community. Click over to our Search Update page to read the latest posting and view the document. All application materials are due to Skip by February 13, so if you know of someone who might be a qualified candidate and is interested in the position, please encourage them to read the document and follow the application guidelines.

Last but not least, a few closing notes:

Our lower elementary and middle elementary students visited the Pixar Animation Studios this past Friday, a field trip that definitely produced some animated responses. We'll have photo highlights posted online later this week.

The Stanbridge Academy Winter Open House will be held on Thursday, February 26 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. This is a great opportunity for families to visit the school and see Stanbridge students and teachers in action. In addition to visiting new families, we also invite parents and guardians of students in our junior high division to use this opportunity to learn more about high school at Stanbridge and get to know more about the teachers, classes, and post-secondary transition planning that we offer. This is our last scheduled open house for this school year, so mark your calendars and spread the word!

Finally, the "Big Game" might be today, but next Sunday is an even bigger day for our Stanbridge Bulldogs basketball team. They will be playing their second game of the season on Sunday, February 8 against STAR Academy. All Bulldog fans are encouraged to come out and cheer-on the team at the Peninsula Family YMCA, 1877 Grant Street in San Mateo. Tipoff is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and coach Mark Kelley promises to bring his "A game" even if his beloved Patriots lose this afternoon.

With that said, whether you are cheering for the Pats or the Seahawks (or just hoping the Pepsi commercials are good), here's to a fantastic...or rather Super...Sunday. And while we may not be able to provide the halftime pyrotechnics of a Katy Perry show, we'll always have the musical stylings of Uncle James. Enjoy the game and see you tomorrow!

From Marilyn Lynch, Stanbridge Head of School:Hello again and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Bridge. With the start of holiday break less than two weeks away, we are counting down the final school days of 2014. There may only be nine school days left this calendar year, but there is plenty going on in that short span of time, so be sure to read-up on the latest news and notes:

With the holiday shopping season in full swing, we're starting this week's update with some helpful gift reminders. First up, our "Starry Day" online sale is happening now. As a follow-up to our "Starry Night" gala auction that was held last month, this special online-only sale is open to all Stanbridge families, as well as outside friends and guests. We have posted a number of gift packages that are available to purchase immediately at special, highly-discounted rates, and all proceeds will benefit Stanbridge. Items include museum and park passes, wine and dinner gift baskets, artwork, theater and symphony tickets, gifts for kids, and even a special catered dinner this February for up to 20 guests, hosted at the home of one of our Stanbridge families! Many of these items would make great holiday gifts for your student, your family...or just you. All items are available for a one-time only "bid-to-buy" price, and the first to reply via our online forms will claim the prize. Click over to the "Starry Day" webpage now and start stuffing those stockings. Our online sale ends on Monday, December 15th, so don't hesitate as the gifts are sold on a first-come, first-served basis!

Don't forget that another easy way to support Stanbridge online is to use our AmazonSmile link.When you shop Amazon.com through our AmazonSmile portal, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to Stanbridge. This is a quick and easy way to take advantage of all of Amazon's great online deals while giving back to Stanbridge as you complete your holiday shopping. Click here to go directly to the Stanbridge AmazonSmile portal, where you can learn more about the program, or simply sign-in and start shopping.

Of course, the true spirit of the holiday season is in giving, and once again Stanbridge is sponsoring the Family Giving Tree. This year's Family Giving Tree is now on display in Hayden Hall and we will be collecting donations through December 12th for children and families in need. Gift tags are displayed on the tree and feature the name and age of a child, as well as that child's specific gift request. Stanbridge families who wish to participate can take a tag from the tree, and then return the tag with their unwrapped donation to Hayden Hall by Friday, December 12. On December 12th all the gifts placed under the tree will be delivered to the Family Giving Tree warehouse in Milpitas. Late gifts will be delivered by the Junior High students on Monday December 15th, when they arrive to volunteer at the warehouse. Please be careful with the gift tags and attached them securely to the unwrapped gift when returning it to the tree as the tags ensure that your gift gets to the specific person you are buying for. If you are unable to fill a wish please return it to the tree so that we can return it to the Family Giving Tree to fill that child's wish. Be on the look out for the gift tags, a few excited students brought some home on Monday. For more information about the Family Giving Tree please visit their website, where you can also make an online donation.

Turning to the school calendar, we have a big week coming up, and the play's the thing on Monday. For the second year in a row, actors from the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival are coming to Stanbridge to perform Shakespeare's comedy As You Like It, a play that is being taught in one of Allison St. John's sophomore English classes. Students will see a one-hour version of the play in the Multipurpose Theatorium and then they will participate in an acting workshop led by the cast. Last year's performance of Julius Caesar was a hit, and students are excited for this year's encore. You can learn more about the upcoming performance at the CalShakes website.

We shift focus from the stage to the court...the basketball court, that is. Our Bulldogs Basketball team is back in action, with weekly practices starting this past Thursday. Coach Mark Kelley has organized a full schedule of practices through mid-March and will be scheduling games after holiday break. Students interested in joining the team should contact Mark via email, and all team members must have completed permission forms on file. The forms and practice schedule are posted on our website's Files & Forms page, and we'll be posting pictures, game details, and highlights on our Bulldogs Athletics page throughout the season. Good luck, Bulldogs, and have fun!

This coming week is the final week of afterschool clubs in 2014. We will start our second iteration of clubs when students return from holiday break, but there will no clubs held the week of December 15-19. Most clubs will continue after the break, though some new choices will be offered. A complete listing of winter clubs, along with enrollment forms, will be distributed to students and posted online later this week. The second session of clubs will begin the week of January 5, 2015 and run through mid-March.

In addition to the final day of afterschool clubs this calendar year, this Friday, December 12, also marks the occasion of our high school holiday dance. All Stanbridge high school students are invited to attend the dance, which will be held in Hayden Hall from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. The dance is free, but all students who attend must return a completed permission form to the main office by Wednesday, Dec. 10. Forms are available in the main office or through your student's homeroom advisor.

As I noted, there is a lot going on at Stanbridge these days, and I haven't even mentioned all of the events coming up during the week of December 14th! We've got an all-school spelling bee, our annual holiday assembly, and divisional parties taking place on the days just before break begins. I'll have full details on those events in next week's Bridge update, but you can read more about them now in this week's SPA Spot.

Before I sign-off, however, one final note: Be sure to click over to our Bridge Blog post from this past Friday. A group of our junior high students recorded a video greeting for Channel One News earlier this year, and their clip was selected to air during last Friday's broadcast--a broadcast seen by over five million viewers worldwide! Details and link to the video are posted on the blog so be sure to check it out. Who knows...we may have just launched the career of a future Anderson Cooper or Lisa Ling.

Told you there was a lot going on these days! Be sure to tune-in next week for the next round of updates--there will be plenty more to report as we prepare to say farewell to 2014. Until then, have a great weekend!

From Marilyn Lynch, Stanbridge Head of School:Hello again and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Bridge. Thanksgiving is just a few days away, and we are heading into an abbreviated, two-day school week before our holiday break begins. Despite the short week ahead, there is still plenty to report, so here's the latest from Stanbridge:

The spirit of Thanksgiving was alive and well on campus over the past few weeks. At the beginning of the month, our student STAR Teams launched their annual Thanksgiving Food Drive to benefit St. Anthony's Kitchen, and this year's campaign netted another impressive haul. On Friday, counselor James Warren delivered all donations to St. Anthony's in San Francisco, assisted by four STAR Team representatives from the elementary, junior high, and high school divisions (see photo). Once again, Stanbridge students and families helped fill an entire recycling bin full of canned goods and foodstuffs that will help make the upcoming holidays a little bit brighter for those less fortunate. A big Thank You to all who supported this great charitable cause! (Those who wish to learn more about St. Anthony's, donate, or volunteer there, can visit the St. Anthony's website for more information). The giving spirit of the holidays will continue on campus next month when we once again sponsor the Family Giving Tree project. More details on that event forthcoming after the Thanksgiving Break.

"Thanks" seems to be in order this week, as I extend a Thanks You--or should I say "Gracias"--to our Book Fair Fiesta volunteers. The annual Scholastic Book Fair ended on Friday afternoon, with a special extended afterschool sales session that was open to Stanbridge alumni. Overall, the fair was a successful one, with brisk sales throughout the week. Our thanks to event coordinator Laura Claude for her work throughout the week, as well as the many parents and guardians who assisted with set-up, sales, and Monday's forthcoming clean-up: Mary Anne Ball, Marissa Huang, Cheryl Martinelli, Bonnie Sutton, Wendi Upchurch, Marion Van Heteran, Linda Waissar, Mary Winslow, and Anna Zara. ¡Gracias amigos!

The fiesta may be over, but you can still buy books that benefit Stanbridge. The Book Fair supplies will be packed up on Monday morning and shipped back to Scholastic's secret underground bunker in the subterranean salt mines of Nebraska. Still, you can purchase Scholastic books online at any time--just visit our website's Book Order page. There, simply follow the directions to order through Scholastic's vast online catalog. Not only are there thousands of titles available for readers of all ages, but when you use our school code to complete your order, Stanbridge receives free books for our classrooms and library. It's win-win for everyone and a great way to order some fun gifts for the holidays. (Please ensure your order is completed by December 7 to ensure delivery before holiday break).

If you are already thinking ahead to holiday gift giving, be aware that we are going to be holding a special "Starry Day" bonus auction after Thanksgiving Break. Our "Starry Night" fall gala and auction raised over $32,000 earlier this month, but we have saved nearly a dozen gift baskets and packages that we will be available for purchase after break. All Stanbridge families will have the opportunity to buy these great gift items that include artwork, park and museum passes, dinner and wine packages, and even a homemade Valentine's-themed dinner event for you and up to 17 other guests! Full details will be announced the week after Thanksgiving break, but if you missed this year's gala, this follow-up event is a unique opportunity to get some fantastic holiday gifts at great prices, and help support Stanbridge.

Coming up before the break, however, we have our annual Thanksgiving Turkey Bingo assembly. Held annually in the afternoon before our break begins, this year's event will take place on Tuesday, November 25 at 2:00 p.m. in the Multipurpose Bingotorium. The assembly allows students and staff from all divisions to intermingle and socialize while playing bingo games for small prizes such as iTunes, Baskin-Robbins, and Jamba Juice gift cards. Jay and I will once again be calling the numbers, and "Uncle" James Warren has promised to perform an encore of his "Happy" redux; a Stanbridge-specific reworking of Pharrell Williams' "Happy" that James sang (and danced to) at the fall gala to help raise funds for the Fund-A-Need music room. Turkey Bingo is always a fun time and a great way to segue into the holiday, so I am looking forward to Tuesday's iteration. (And yes, we will be posting a video of James' performance online!)

Before segueing into the closing, a few final notes:• Congratulations to high school student Bobby E., who was elected as the new student body vice-president on Friday. Our previous student body VP transferred to a new school, leaving the office vacant and necessitating Friday's special election. A hearty congratulations to all of the students who stepped-up to run for the office, and our best wishes for the student government to continue their progress this year. A full listing of this year's officeholders can be found on our Student Leadership page.• More thanks are in order to our ever-increasing list of Annual Fund donors. I am thrilled to report that we have now crossed the $100,000 mark in funds raised, thanks to the participation of Stanbridge families. It is amazing that we are almost halfway to our $220,000 goal, and I thank everyone who has made a contribution thusfar. Our ultimate goal is 100% family participation, and every donation helps make a difference. If you have not yet donated, please consider giving by year's end, either by using the Annual Fund remit envelope to give by check or credit card, or donate online via credit card through our secure Razoo platform. We're all in this together, and I thank you again for your continued support.• This past Thursday, Stanbridge welcomed "The Fabulous Chinese Acrobats" to campus for a special all-school assembly. Mary has posted a few photo highlights on our Facebook page, and we'll have more pics (and some video) coming later this week.• Finally, a special congratulations to Stanbridge junior high student Muriel P., who received the Girl Scout Bronze Award on Friday as a result of her continued work over the past two years, particularly, 25 hours of work she contributed to a “bookworm garden” her troop created to encourage kids to enjoy reading. The city of San Mateo allowed the troop to install the garden next to Paddock Park, the newest playground in San Mateo, and it was Muriel’s idea to base it on the book Chrysanthemum.

We started this week's edition with community service and books, so it is only appropriate that we end with that story. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and the short week of school ahead!

From Marilyn Lynch, Stanbridge Head of School:Hello again and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Bridge. Our "Starry Night" gala has come and gone, and I am happy to report that it was a tremendous success. We'll be posting photo highlights throughout the week, and a full recap next weekend once Anne sorts through all of the paperwork. In the meantime, a few immediate post-gala reflections below, along with the latest news and notes:

I have to start off this week's update with a hearty round of Thank Yous to everyone who helped make Saturday's Starry Night auction and gala such a success. The venue was fantastic and the turnout tremendous. We had a great mix of current Stanbridge families, staff, alumni, board members, and guests, all of whom seemed to have a great time. So many volunteers helped to make this year's gala an unqualified success--soliciting donations, assisting with packaging gift bags and baskets, helping with set-up and clean-up, donating gifts, money, and time--it truly was a collaborative effort that showed-off the best of Stanbridge. The numbers are still unofficial at this point, but the event helped to raise thousands of dollars for Stanbridge and our Fund-a-Need goal of building a new music room. Again, we will have more details and highlights forthcoming throughout the week, but sincere thanks to everyone who was part of making our "Starry Night" a bright one.

Alas, there's little time to relax in the afterglow, as we prepare to kick off another big event this week: The annual Scholastic Book Fair. This year's Book Fair theme is "Fiesta" and the party begins on Monday morning, when Book Fair volunteers will begin setting up displays in Hayden Hall. Monday afternoon will be a special "Preview Day" when students, staff, parents and guardians can browse the selections and make notes on what items they would like to buy. The fair will be open for purchases starting on Tuesday morning, November 18, at morning drop-off, and our "Fiesta de los Libros" will run through Friday afternoon, with volunteers staffing the registers during drop-off and pick-up times each day.

Book fair coordinator Laura Claude is still looking for volunteers to sign-up for shift times, and you can help by reserving a spot via the SPA Book Fair online Sign-Up Genius. You can also make things easier for your student by filling out the Book Fair Voucher/Wish List form. The form provides you and your student an opportunity to list the books and items you would like to purchase during the fair. The form also allows you to give your student a set amount of book fair credit that he/she can spend at the event. Simply indicate the maximum amount they can spend, and have your child bring the completed form to the checkout. Event staff will ensure your student does not exceed the credit limit, and Stanbridge will bill you for all purchases later. This form was sent home with students on Friday, but you can also download a copy from our Files & Forms page. The book fair is a great opportunity to support Stanbridge and get an early jump on holiday gift buying (books make great stocking stuffers!).

Speaking of the holidays, don't forget that Thanksgiving is coming up and our student STAR Teams are still collecting items for their Food Drive to benefit St. Anthony's Kitchen. Now through November 24, Stanbridge families can drop off canned goods and other non-perishable food items in the collection bin located in the main hall foyer. Counselor James Warren will deliver all donations to St. Anthony's just before Thanksgiving. This has been an annual tradition at Stanbridge for years, and it is a great way for students and families in every division to help make a positive impact in the community.

We have two school-wide assemblies coming up in the days leading-up to Thanksgiving. This Thursday, "The Fabulous Chinese Acrobats" will be returning to campus for a performance at 2:00 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room. The troupe visited Stanbridge last year and dazzled everyone with some amazing acrobatic feats that seemed to defy physics, so we are looking forward to their encore performance this week. Next week, we will hold our annual "Turkey Bingo" assembly on Tuesday afternoon, November 25th. The school-wide bingo game allows students and staff from all divisions to intermingle and socialize before departing for Thanksgiving Break, and rumors are swirling that a certain "Uncle James" will also be performing an original composition during the event.

Before signing-off, a few closing notes:• Don't forget to stay up-to-date with the many conferences, lectures, and workshops around the Bay Area. We regularly update the listings on our Lectures & Workshops page, and you can help spread the word on any events of interest to Stanbridge families by emailing our webmaster with listings we may have missed.• The Annual Fund Campaign is rolling along, and our thanks again to everyone who has contributed so far. We are already nearing the $100,000 mark, with nearly half of all Stanbridge families making a contribution. Again, I am amazed at the generosity of the Stanbridge community. Our ultimate goal is 100% family participation, and every donation helps make a difference. If you have not yet donated, please consider giving by year's end, either by using the Annual Fund remit envelope to give by check or credit card, or donate online via credit card through our secure Razoo platform. We're all in this together, and I thank you again for your continued support.

Our Starry Night may be over, but I'll see our Stanbridge Stars back at school on Monday. Until then, enjoy the rest of the weekend!

From Marilyn Lynch, Stanbridge Head of School:Hello again and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Bridge. We enjoy another extended weekend this week, thanks to Monday's Veterans Day holiday, and the timing is perfect after another active week at school. From the high school Day of Service to Thursday's Open House, there was plenty going on both on and off campus last week. Of course, with the Fall Gala and Book Fair coming up, there's plenty ahead on the calendar, too, so rest up on the day off. In the meantime, here is the latest news from around Stanbridge:

Kudos to all of the participants in last week's High School Day of Service. Students in grades 9-12 spent the day volunteering off-campus at one of three different venues: The Second Harvest Food Bank, InnVision Shelter, and BOK Ranch. Student and staff feedback was tremendously positive, and representatives at all three venues stated that they truly appreciated the help from our groups. A big thank you to Susan Kufer for helping to organize this event. Additional service days will be scheduled throughout the school year for both high school and junior high divisions, and we will report the details on those events as the dates get closer.

Service is a key component to the Stanbridge STAR philosophy, and the upcoming holidays provide an opportunity for students in all divisions to give back. Currently, the student STAR Teams are running a Thanksgiving canned food drive to benefit St. Anthony's Kitchen (see photo above). Now through November 24, Stanbridge families can drop off canned goods and other non-perishable food items in the collection bin located in the main hall foyer. Counselor James Warren will deliver all donations to St. Anthony's just before Thanksgiving. This has been an annual tradition at Stanbridge for years, and it is a great way for students and families in every division to help make a positive impact in the community.

This past Wednesday was the November SPA meeting, and there was plenty to discuss and report. Highlights included plans for the upcoming Scholastic Book Fair, which will be held the week of November 17th. Organizers are still seeking volunteers to assist with this annual event, which will feature a "Fiesta!" theme this year. Also discussed at the meeting was this Friday's upcoming Bake Sale--we are still in need of a few dozen baked goods to offer at this week's sale, and are looking for a few bakers/shoppers to help ensure there is something for everyone. Much more was covered at last week's meeting, so if you missed it, click over to the SPA Spot page where Anna Zara has posted the minutes online, and you can get detailed information on how to volunteer and help with these upcoming events.

Speaking of upcoming events, our "Starry Night" Fall Gala is less than a week away. The event will be held this Saturday, November 15th from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. at the San Mateo Marriott, and all Stanbridge parents/guardians are invited to attend. The RSVP deadline was this Friday, November 7th, but we are offering a final extension to reply by this Wednesday morning, November 12 (simply email or call the main office to RSVP). The gala itself is a fun-filled night of dinner, music, dancing, and fun, with live music, a silent auction for some amazing items, and a wonderful opportunity to meet and mingle with current Stanbridge families, alumni, board members, staff, and friends of the school. Last week, a group of volunteers helped to bundle, package, and wrap a number of our gift baskets, and from sports packages to weekend getaways in and around the Bay Area, there is truly something for everyone at this year's auction. I hope you are able to join us for what will be a fun, memorable night.

Before we go, another round of Thank Yous to everyone who made a donation to this year's Annual Fund Campaign. Stanbridge Trustee and Annual Fund Committee Chairwoman Gloria Principe noted at last week's SPA meeting that we are already halfway toward our matching funds challenge of raising $45,000 in new and increased donations. Furthermore, over 40% of Stanbridge families have made their donation this school year, helping us to raise over $80,000 already! Our ultimate goal is 100% family participation, and every donation helps make a difference. If you have not yet donated, please consider giving by year's end, either by using the Annual Fund remit envelope to give by check or credit card, or donate online via credit card through our secure Razoo platform (where you can collect those bonus credit card points!). We are all part of the Stanbridge Community and the Annual Fund makes an impact on everyone at Stanbridge--from students and families to staff and faculty. Your donation truly makes a difference, so thank you for your generosity.

Before signing-off, a few final notes:• Our Fall Open House last Thursday was a success; thank you to everyone who helped show the community what a truly unique school Stanbridge is. We will host another Open House this spring, but remember that anyone interested in learning more about our school can get comprehensive details through our website and schedule a personalized tour online.• The Common Ground Speaker Series continues this week with Alfie Kohn presenting "Myth of the Spoiled Child: What Kids Really Need To Thrive" on Wednesday and Thursday, November 12 & 13. Details, dates, venues and times on ourCommon Groundpage.• On Tuesday, November 11, the Parents Education Network (PEN)-Silicon Valley, presents "The View from High School for Students with Learning & Attention Differences," a panel discussion with educators who will provide information about high schools and available resources for LD students. Stanbridge counselor Mary Stadler will be on the panel, and the event promises to be an informative one open to students and their families. Details and registration info available on the PEN-SV website.• SPA volunteers will be chaperoning an afterschool movie for high school students this Friday, November 14. The group will meet in Hayden Hall at 3:10 and then walk to the San Mateo Century Cinemark theaters to see a first-run movie (title TBD). This is a voluntary, pay-your-own-way event. More details forthcoming later in the week.• Finally, last week, Speech Therapist Kari Schaiman left on her maternity leave. She will soon be welcoming another member of the Stanbridge Class of 2032, and we wish her and her family the best over the next few days and weeks ahead. In her absence, we welcome Jamie Friedland to the Stanbridge family. Jamie will be covering Kari's speech and language sessions with students, as well as pragmatics classes. She has a great, positive attitude and we look forward to working with her. Welcome, Jamie!

Thank you to our Stanbridge veterans this weekend, as well as all the men and women who have served and who are still serving our country. Enjoy the Monday holiday, and see you back at school on Tuesday.

From Marilyn Lynch, Stanbridge Head of School:Hello again and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Bridge. When it rains, it pours, and between Stanbridge's Halloween events and the Giants amazing run to another title, last week provided a flood of hustle and bustle on campus. And though the weather has cleared up, the deluge of activity will carry on into a busy November. Here's the latest to keep you up-to-date:

Thank you to all of the parents and guardians who joined us for conferences last week; we appreciate you taking the time to talk with your student's teachers. If you were unable to make it in for conferences, but still wish to talk to a teacher or counselor about your student's progress, please email your request to the staff member(s) directly. Teacher email addresses are listed on our Teacher pages, and counselor emails are linked on the Counseling Department page. All first quarter report cards are finalized and you should receive them in the mail later this week.

With the Giants' World Series victory parade and Halloween falling on the same day, it was an orange and black attack on Friday. Stanbridge got an early jump on Halloween festivities with a special multimedia presentation/concert on Thursday afternoon. Erik Tom's technology classes presented Halloween-themed PowerPoint slideshows, and music teacher David Hopper presented a variety of holiday-themed songs from the choir and rock band. On Friday, the Halloween spirit was on full display, with many of our students and staff sporting costumes for the day. A big thank you to Amy Bergstrom and the SPA volunteers who assisted with organizing and running the afternoon's Halloween carnival activities and divisional parties. In addition to a hot dog picnic lunch, the carnival featured arts and crafts, carnival games, and the ever-popular Stanbridge dunk tank. Media Czar Mary Stadler has posted a few Halloween highlights on our Facebook page, and we will be adding many, many more to our Google+ page next week. In the meantime, click over to the Stanbridge G+ page and check out the dozens of newly-added pictures from the High School's Halloween Dance.

During Friday's Halloween festivities, we held our Annual Fund's "Pledge Week" raffle. All families who donated to this year's Annual Fund campaign had their student entered in a raffle to win an iTunes gift card (log-in to the Weekly Bridge mainpage to see who the lucky winners were). We would like to thank all families who have made their donation to this year's Annual Fund Campaign. Already, over one-third of Stanbridge families have raised over $70,000! This is an amazing start to the campaign and we hope to continue the momentum into November. If you haven't yet donated, please consider giving by either sending your check or credit card gift via remit envelope, or by giving online through our secure Razoo platform (a great way to give back to Stanbridge and earn credit card bonus points/miles!) We are striving for 100% participation from Stanbridge families and every donation makes a difference. Thank you again to everyone who has given so far!

As we begin November, a look ahead shows a packed calendar. Things get off and running this Tuesday, November 4th, which is a Day of Service for students in our high school division. All students in grades 9-12 will be volunteering off-campus at one of three different venues: The Second Harvest Food Bank, Vision Shelter, and BOK Ranch. The necessary permission forms and waivers were sent home with students last week and need to be returned to the main office tomorrow (Monday, Nov. 3). If you need a copy of the form, please send a request to the main office or your student's homeroom advisor.

Giving back to the community is something that we encourage all of our students to do, and even though Tuesday's Day of Service is exclusive to our high school division, all students will have an opportunity to participate in a service event this month. Counselor James Warren and the student STAR Teams are once again organizing a Thanksgiving Food Drive to benefit St. Anthony's Kitchen. Beginning on Tuesday, we will have a collection bin set up in the main hall foyer where Stanbridge families can drop off canned goods and other non-perishable food items that will be donated to St. Anthony's just before Thanksgiving. This has been an annual tradition at Stanbridge for years, and it is a great way for students and families in every division to help make a positive impact in the community. James is hoping to break last year's record for amount of items that we collect--let's all pitch in and see if we "can" do it.

In addition to the service events this week, we have some other notable dates on the calendar ahead. SPA will hold their monthly meeting on Wednesday, November 5, at 8:30 a.m. in Hayden Hall. All Stanbridge parents and guardians are encouraged to attend. Topics will include the upcoming Fall Gala, Book Fair, and holiday event planning. More details on the meeting, as well as other SPA news, in this week's updated SPA Spot.

Stanbridge will host our annual Fall Open House this Thursday morning, November 6, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the Stanbridge program and the services we offer. The event will include personalized campus tours, presentations from our staff, and Q&A sessions with faculty and staff members. The event is free and no RSVP is required. This is also a great opportunity for current Stanbridge families with students in our junior high program to learn more about our high school offerings. Spread the word; we look forward to seeing you!

And we look forward to seeing you at this year's "Starry Night" Fall Gala. The event will be held on Saturday, November 15th from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. at the San Mateo Marriott, and all Stanbridge parents/guardians are invited to attend. Invitations were mailed in October and the RSVP deadline is this Friday, November 7th. If you have been procrastinating and have yet to reply, please do so this week as space is limited. As a bonus incentive to RSVP by Friday, we will award a pizza party lunch to the homerooms with the highest rate of family replies by Friday afternoon. It is quick and easy to RSVP (simply email or call the main office), and we will hold an all-school pizza party if we get 100% response by Friday. The gala itself is a fun-filled night of dinner, music, dancing, and fun, with live music, a silent auction for some amazing items, and a wonderful opportunity to meet and mingle with current Stanbridge families, alumni, board members, staff, and friends of the school. I hope you are able to join us for what will be a fun, memorable night.

Last, but not least, I hope you enjoyed the extra hour of sleep overnight. If you haven't yet turned back your clocks, don't forget to "Fall Back." With the busy week ahead--and the Gala, Book Fair, and Thanksgiving break looming--an extra hour of rest is a good way to start the month.

From Marilyn Lynch, Stanbridge Head of School:Hello again and welcome to another edition of the Weekly Bridge. As the Giants prepare for another Fall Classic to end the baseball season, our students will be returning from a very short three-day school week to prepare for the end of the first quarter. Not quite as exciting, perhaps, but there is still quite a bit to look forward to as the end of October nears.

The first academic quarter ends this Friday, October 24, and parent-teacher conferences will be held for all grade divisions on Monday, October 27, and for high school parents/guardians only on Tuesday, October 28. If you have not yet done so, please be sure to schedule your conference time by completing the online Conference Request Form posted in the Parent Portal section of our website. Conference scheduling is done exclusively through online registration and Susan will be finalizing appointment times this week. Conferences will not be scheduled by phone or outside email and there areno "drop-in" appointments on conference days, so be sure to submit your online conference request ASAP.

There are no classes on conference days, so students will have another extended weekend to look forward to. All K-8 conferences will be held on Monday, October 27 only, and classes will resume on Tuesday for students in those grades. High school conferences will be held on both Monday and Tuesday, so students in grades 9-12 are not due to return to school until Wednesday the 29th.

Before conferences, however, we have a full week of school to get through and there are a number of events highlighting the week ahead. This Tuesday, October 21, we will be visited by the Senegal African Dance and Drum Troupe. The troupe will perform during an all-school assembly on Tuesday afternoon, 2:00 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room.

SPA will be sponsoring their monthly Bake Sale during lunch periods on Friday, Oct. 24. A variety of baked goods will be available for purchase for one dollar (official U.S. currency, that is--no Stanbucks accepted). Volunteers are still needed to provide goods for this week's bake sale, so click over to the SPA Spot page for more details on how you can sign-up to help.

Funds raised from the bake sales go toward high school dances, the first of which will be held on Friday night, October 24. The dance will include a professional DJ, as well as refreshments and lots of Halloween decorations. SPA is still looking for volunteers to assist with decorating and provide some of the snacks--click over to the SPA Spot page and sign-up to assist via their online Sign-Up Genius. The dance will be held in Hayden Hall from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. and the required permission form can be downloaded from the Files & Forms page. Students are allowed to invite two friends from outside of Stanbridge and the dance is also open to Stanbridge alumni. This is a free dance for Stanbridge high school students and given the Halloween theme, students are welcome to dress in costume but it is not required. If your student does plan to attend in costume, we ask that you please ensure that the costume is appropriate for all ages and any prop guns, knives, or other realistic-looking weapons remain at home.

Speaking of Halloween, Monday is the final day of the Candy Drive sponsored by our high school "Bridges" transitions class. The candy drive is a benefit for CALL Primrose, a not-for-profit agency that provides grocery assistance and other services throughout the community. The Bridges class will be putting together 100 candy treat bags for CALL Primrose in Burlingame and delivering them next week. The students are hoping to provide plenty of full bags to the organization, so please help them out by contributing a package of pre-packed wrapped candy to the donation bin in the main foyer on Monday.

We will be taking-in candy for the charity candy drive on Monday, but we will also be giving out some candy ahead of the Halloween holiday. Throughout this week, volunteers will be proffering candy treats during drop-off and pick-up as we kick-off our Annual Fund's "Pledge Week." In addition to candy, the volunteers will also be distributing pledge cards for contributions to this year's Annual Fund Campaign. Once again, we are hoping to reach 100% participation from all Stanbridge families, and every donation makes a difference. If you have not yet sent in your contribution, this week is the perfect time to do so--or better yet, use your credit card to make your donation online. As an extra incentive, all families who donate to the Annual Fund by October 30 will have their student entered in a raffle to win Jamba Juice or iTunes gift cards during the Halloween Carnival on October 31. Remember, new family donations will be matched 1:1 and any increases in your family's donation from last year will also receive a 1:1 match. Up to $35,000 in matching funds are being offered this year, with an extra $10,000 more if we reach 100% participation. Together, we are Stanbridge, and I thank you for giving back to the Stanbridge community.

Last but not least, the pics are in and online! Click over to our Google+ page, where we have posted hundreds of pictures from all of this fall's experiential trips. Also, be sure to visit the official Stanbridge Academy Facebook page, where our Social Media Czar Mary Stadler makes regular updates throughout the week on all the goings-on around campus.

With another busy week ahead, there should be a lot to post, so stay connected. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and Go Giants!

Stanbridge Academy is a caring, inclusive K-12 school for students with mild to moderate learning differences and social communication disorders. We use an individualized, whole student approach so that students thrive and develop their academic, social, and emotional capabilities to their fullest potential.